AuthorTopic: vector linux on USB drive (Read 20354 times)

Ok, downloaded vl5.8 std live iso, burned it to disk then copied to my usb drive.ran syslinux and renamed the isolinux.cfg to syslinux.cfg system now boots!

ok, so now I want to make changes and same so they are there next time I boot. for example I want to edit /etc/hosts and have those changes there the next time I boot off the USB drive.

I don't want to do a regular install ( I think) because I might use the USB drive to boot another machine so I need the live version so it will scan and set up all the hardware.

Any help would be great!

thanks!

Logged

Evil Overlord rule 58 My doomsday device will not employ a large red digital countdown device unless it is absolutely necessary. If a countdown device proves to be necessary, the doomsday device will be set to activate when the counter reaches 00:10:00, rather than 00:00:00.

good to hear your up and running with it.you need to find out which device name your usb drive gets when the system boots i.e. /dev/sda1then you add this "changes=/dev/sda1" to your boot line in syslinux.cfg (changing /dev/sda1 to match your device of course)

Evil Overlord rule 58 My doomsday device will not employ a large red digital countdown device unless it is absolutely necessary. If a countdown device proves to be necessary, the doomsday device will be set to activate when the counter reaches 00:10:00, rather than 00:00:00.

Evil Overlord rule 58 My doomsday device will not employ a large red digital countdown device unless it is absolutely necessary. If a countdown device proves to be necessary, the doomsday device will be set to activate when the counter reaches 00:10:00, rather than 00:00:00.

From my experience in slax 6, changes=/dev/sdb1 means to save changes in the partition found in /dev/sdb1 (usually ext2) which is probably not what you want to do.I am not sure but check if there is a command called 'mkchanges' and try using that to make a save file somewhere. Then in your syslinux.cfg make changes=<relative path from root of drive to save file>. Well, that's how it's done is Slax 6 which uses the linux-live 6 scripts, so I'm not sure if it also applies to linux-live 5(the one used in VL-5.8 live.

Edit:

I inspected the VL-5.8 live cd and turns out there wasn't anything to make a filesystem. So based off some stuff in slax, here is what you do to keep changes.

Then, in your syslinux.cfg put "changes=save.dat"Note: I used xfs because that's what slax uses and you can optionally grow the fs, but you can use other filesystems as well, as long as it's supported, I think. You should give about 256mb for the changes file, which is usually more than enough.

rebooted, edited /etc/hosts and saved. Rebooted and changes still not there.

Logged

Evil Overlord rule 58 My doomsday device will not employ a large red digital countdown device unless it is absolutely necessary. If a countdown device proves to be necessary, the doomsday device will be set to activate when the counter reaches 00:10:00, rather than 00:00:00.

wiped out my usb drive, created 2 partitions : 1 fat16 and 1 ext2rebuilt the livecd into the fat16 reran syslinux and booted.

created a file called saved.cow in the ext2 file system

set "changes=saved.cow" in the syslinux.cfg

rebooted and still not working. is the "changes" option correct?

Logged

Evil Overlord rule 58 My doomsday device will not employ a large red digital countdown device unless it is absolutely necessary. If a countdown device proves to be necessary, the doomsday device will be set to activate when the counter reaches 00:10:00, rather than 00:00:00.

the changes= boot option has worked for me.All the documentation I have found, (and the way it worked for me) says that the changes option should be used with the device name.I have read that if a file called save.dat is found on the device used in the changes= option that it will be used but that it is not required.there should also be a folder called rootcopy on the usb that can be used to copy files into the root file system on boot like /etc/hosts

when you say device name you mean /dev/sbd1 example "changes=/dev/sbd1" and then on that device have a save.dat file ?

Logged

Evil Overlord rule 58 My doomsday device will not employ a large red digital countdown device unless it is absolutely necessary. If a countdown device proves to be necessary, the doomsday device will be set to activate when the counter reaches 00:10:00, rather than 00:00:00.

Evil Overlord rule 58 My doomsday device will not employ a large red digital countdown device unless it is absolutely necessary. If a countdown device proves to be necessary, the doomsday device will be set to activate when the counter reaches 00:10:00, rather than 00:00:00.